CM Pinarayi Vijayan calls meet; nurses' stir in Kannur, Kasargod today

Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has convened a meeting with Indian Nurses Association (INA) on Thursday after they made clear that they would go ahead with the strike demanding wage hike. The chief minister’s office had earlier invited other nurses unions including United Nurses Association (UNA) for the meeting. He will also hold discussions with managements to end the strike. The meeting would be held after the meeting of the Industrial Relations Committee (IRC) scheduled for the day.

The unions welcomed the initiative saying they had faith in him. However, INA said that they would go ahead with the strike in Kannur and Kasargod. Meanwhile, the meeting of the Confederation of the Private Hospital Management Association held in Kochi on Sunday made it clear that they were willing to provide the government announced minimum wages to nurses even though they felt that it was high.

The Confederation of the Private Hospital Management Associations have opposed demands of the nurses associations for the basic salary of Rs 20,000 fixed by a Supreme Court-appointed panel. They would not shut down the hospitals temporarily even if the nurses go ahead with the strike. They pointed out that it was the prerogative of the government to decide whether to impose ESMA on the striking nurses. They also said it was for the district administration to decide on whether to deploy student nurses in hospitals in view of the ongoing nurses strike.